The Shadow Chronicles
by DeathSentence129
Summary: Things looked grim for our dark hero, until one day when a mysterious package arrived...
1. Prologue

Sonic the Hedgehog: The Shadow Chronicles Vol. 1

By Carmelo A. Ildefonso

Prologue

After "Sonic Heroes", a journey much to Shadow the Hedgehog's dismay, Shadow was still looking for answers to his unorganized dreams of his past that he can't put together. After being flung toward the Earth at high-speed, even the ultimate life form had to be in a state of suspended animation. As Shadow searched, he had no luck, until an anonymous tip led to the security confines on Prison Island, a place he'd been in the past. Now, Shadow is going to find out who sent it, why they did, if they really have the answers that he's been looking for, and why the answers to so many of his questions have been locked away for so long…


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1-The Letter

The night was the coldest ever for Shadow, and the fact that he had horrible nightmares about his past didn't help. He couldn't fall asleep, even where he was. The surrounding area was set up to match his every need but he was filled with insomnia. He couldn't help but feel that his chance at realizing his past was slim, slimmer than he wanted them to be. There he sat in a dreary room, not knowing about himself. He started to try and remember his past…the same past that he'd been searching for, for about 3 months.

But trying to remember crushed him…for every time he tried to remember, it was the next day. Every time he tried to remember, he fell asleep and dreamt about it. And the dreams turned into nightmares.

Living in a tenement is hard for a hero who is treated like a menace. He was naturally dark, with a personality filled with determination. But he was basically good, with a dark side that he could control. He was a black hedgehog, with red stripes going down his spikes. He had a white patch of fur on his chest, and red eyes. At his dangerous disposal of tricks was the Green Chaos Emerald, a dangerous weapon disguised as a simple gem, as well as rocket-propelled shoes allowing flight. He hated almost everything in existence, and he loved nothing.

He knew a lot of people, and they were in high places. For instance, he knew the world-renowned heroic duo, Sonic the Hedgehog and his huge-brained sidekick, Miles Tails Prower, a mechanical genius. He knew the ever-popular hedgehog girl Amy Rose. He knew the Chaotix Detective Agency, comprised of Espio the Chameleon, a ninja, Vector the Alligator, a water-adept weightlifter, and Charmy, a less popular annoying bee. He also knew the only inhabitants of Angel Island, Knuckles the Echidna, his long-lost sister, Tikal, and Chaos, the protector of the mysterious Chao creatures, as well as the Chaos Emeralds, gems of immense power. But his closest friend was Rouge the Bat, a 17-year old government spy, and pastime treasure hunter with a dangerous obsession with gems. And his worst enemy was Ivan Robotnik, the all-around evil genius, also known as Dr. Eggman. His greatest creation turned good was E-123 Omega. The unfortunate thing is that the ones he has come to know are, in most cases, enemies.

It was that fateful, cold night that brought him to the scene of the wildest thing that has ever happened. That night would be the last spent in question by the fate-stricken hero. On that very night, there was a ring at the apartment door.

Shadow opened the door, with his eyes half-open, half-asleep. The bellboy was there. He yelled louder than a truck horn, "PACKAGE!" The startling sound woke up the half-asleep hedgehog.

Shadow examined the package. "Thanks! I've been waiting for this package for a while now."

As Shadow entered the apartment, he turned on the light and took a box cutter from his sock drawer. He was about to open it when he realized that it read "ANONYMOUS" in the return address. EBay didn't prefer anonymity. He knew then that this wasn't the package that he was looking forward to receiving.

Shadow stepped into the lobby to tell the bellboy that this wasn't his package. But when he went out to search for him, the bellboy was knocked out at the elevator door.

Shadow then returned to his room, and opened the frightening package. Inside was a top-priority mail message. It read,

Dear Shadow,

I have been spying on you. I know that you've been searching for your past for some time now. I know where to find your answer. I prefer anonymity, and would like to meet you on Prison Island. Meet me there tomorrow morning at the plane hangar. We'll talk then.

The box contained a cell phone wrapped in lost Florida ballots from the 2004 election.

Shadow knew that this could be his chance. He posted the letter on his mirror and fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2-The Meeting

Shadow got ready for the day. He woke up at 7 a.m., and the last time that happened was quite a long time ago, before he went into the suspended animation that left his mind blank. The dark circles under his eyes that had come as a result of sleepless nights had faded as a result of his being able to actually sleep without waking up every night at 2a.m. or 3a.m. He looked better than usual, and was ready for the day ahead that filled him with a newfound hope.

As he ground down the fire escape, he jumped off the edge and jumped toward the ledge of his apartment building. He then jumped off of the building and into the clear blue sky onto a house. As he was falling from the peak of his jump, he said, "Chaos Control", and as he did, time around him slowed down, but he didn't, giving him a boost of speed by approximately 180mph. It was called the Chaos Control ability, and it had extreme potential. Therefore he got away in time before the inhabitants realized the impact of the fall.

He ground on the side of the bridge ahead at hyper speed, and said, "Chaos Control" again, bringing his total speed to Mach 2. From the bridge he went for a daring jump, hitting seagulls to increase his hang time and bring him to the coast of Prison Island. The even luckier thing was that he landed on the side closest to the hangar, and had a lot of time remaining.

As he walked in, the door slammed, and the wind flew across his back. You'd have to be pretty fast to make wind fly in hyper time, and to have someone in hyper time feel the effects of the wind. Shadow couldn't see a thing in this deserted area on an uninviting island.

Suddenly, the light turned on. The hangar lit up like lightning in a dark storm, and as it did, Shadow saw a bucket full of Florida ballots from the 2000 presidential election. A voice came from nowhere, and said, "An Earthling would only wonder where that ended up."

Shadow said to the shadow hanging like a bat, "Obsessed with getting rid of Bush, I see. You sent me here. You sent the package, right?"

"Correct you are", said the voice, which was now visible as a cloaked girl. Her face was shrouded in mystery. She was about Shadow's size, and she was wearing a black coat, which covered all but her eyes, which looked uninviting. She had a deep voice and a necklace with a blue gem around her neck.

Shadow said, "You requested that I be here. Why?"

"You do want to find out about yourself, right?"

"Yes. Tell me if you know so much about me."

"I know much about you, but your past is a different story. I simply know of where to find clues."

"So let me get this straight. You asked me to come here to go on a wild goose chase?"

"Not a goose chase at all. I have the locations for the clues."

"Then tell me. I'm afraid I don't have all day."

"One of them is on this island, on a tanker, in the holds, and the tanker is parked on the south side of the island. The other four will come up after finding the first of the five."

"What am I looking for?"

"Newspaper articles that were archived after the events were described as 'too dangerous to be read'. The articles contain the information you want."

"Too dangerous to be read, huh? I'll show them a thing or two."

"You'd better be careful."

As Shadow headed off, he turned his head and said, "Thanks."

Shadow then headed off to the tanker to obtain his first article.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3-A Friend From the Past

Shadow had his hopes up. He wasn't worried about his future anymore. He thought before he met this mysterious girl that he'd have to spend the rest of his life, dreaming his horrible past events. He thought that before he met her, he'd spend his life a freak with a clean slate and no ideas about his past. His new thoughts were if he would really find his answer.

As he cruised in his rocket shoes across the island, he saw a familiar figure in the sky. He sped up, and was now at the same pace as the thing. It was headed toward the tanker. Shadow followed.

When he got to the tanker, he found it under heavy guard. The guards were huge robots wielding a giant steel mallet and a metal helmet. Shadow knew that it would take the abilities he was using with the Chaos Emerald to take it out. So he took his Chaos Emerald and said, "Chaos Spear!"

The Chaos Emerald flew into the sky and shot a couple dozen beams of light at the guard. The wretched robot was gone.

Soon the familiar figure split into two separate shadows and landed on the aft deck. As it did, Shadow quickly hid in a corner. He had a clear view at Eggman, holding Rouge. He listened to the conversation.

Eggman said, "This tanker is holding a few tons of valuable oil in its holds. If I can take it, I'll be able to complete my latest creation. Guide me through, and I'll spare you."

Rouge said, "Never! I'll never allow the likes of you to take it!" This was an obvious hostage situation, and the hostage was planning retaliation.

As she said so, Eggman pulled a gun from the cockpit of his large hovering machine, and pointed it to her head. "Have it your way, then!" he said, as he nearly pulled the trigger.

Shadow shouted, "Chaos Control!" The entire world stopped moving. The bullet stopped in midair, and Rouge stood still, as did Eggman. Shadow beat Eggman up in hyper time, and as he did, the gun slipped out of his hand and overboard. The hovercraft was badly damaged.

When the Chaos Control wore off, Eggman was knocked out. The hovercraft flung to the floor and broke in half. The mad genius was undoubtedly hurt, and just in time, too.

Rouge spotted Shadow, and said, "Thanks! You saved me!"

Shadow simply replied, "All in a day's work, Rouge."

Behind his back, Eggman used what was left of his strength to crawl overboard.

Rouge said, "What exactly are you doing here anyway? This is a military facility, and they seemingly don't want any intruders."

"I was sent here to find something."

"What's on this tanker that you need?"

"The forbidden newspaper article that will supposedly help me to remember my past. The tanker was sent here to get rid of the article, burning it and trashing my dream of remembering exactly what happened, or at least telling me what's going on."

"Then, you're not here for any mysterious reasons? That's unlike you."

"Obviously. I've got to go. See you later."

He then dashed, and halted when Rouge said, "Wait!"

"What is it?"

She pulled out a security card. "You'll need this to unlock the chamber where it is."

"Thanks. See you around." Shadow then dashed around to the entrance.

When he got there, a guard spotted him and said, "You're not supposed to be here! Guards, get him!"

Shadow dashed around to the other side of the ship, and attacked a row of flying robots to reach the control room. Upon entry, the guards spotted him. They caught him this time, and he was definitely trapped. A guard approached, and with the back of his rifle, hit Shadow in the head. Shadow fell to the floor, unconscious.

Shadow saw what appeared to be a dream. He had no strength at all. He tried to get up, but wobbled and fell back down.

He saw what appeared to be the control room of a large spaceship. There was his friend, Sonic, entering the room. On the opposite side was Robotnik, holding Amy hostage. He was in the opposite corner of Tails, who was in his custom bi-plane robot armor, the Cyclone.

Sonic then said, "We've got a deal. This Chaos Emerald for my friends' safety."

He then took out a yellow Chaos Emerald. Eggman said, "Then hand it over."

Sonic muttered, "Using this fake Emerald, I can kill two birds with one stone!"

Eggman pointed to a spot right in front of him. "Now, put the Emerald down there and back off!"

Sonic said, "You're dealing big this time, Doctor Egghead!"

As he approached, a glass container came down over him. Sonic was trapped.

Tails and Amy were shocked. They didn't think that he would know that the Emerald was a fake. Shadow regained his strength and got up. He walked up to Eggman, and in a quick move that not even a pro-street fighter could have stopped, grabbed the gun and the controller for the glass container. He disengaged the glass container and pointed the gun toward Eggman's head.

He then said, "How dare you mess with my friends. You aren't what I expected. You coward! Now hand over your Chaos Emeralds!"

Sweat poured down the man's face as he grabbed the Chaos Emeralds and reluctantly gave them to Shadow. Shadow then knocked out Eggman and gave the Chaos Emeralds to his friends.

Sonic said, "Why did you do that?" He seemed different. "You were on his side, and you just gave us the upper hand!"

Shadow said, "What?" but as he did, the floor started to shake and a light covered his eyes. He then realized that he was dreaming.

When the light passed, he was lying on the ground, with a shooting pain on his head. He looked to his side, and saw a row of bars. He was in a jail cell.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4-The First Article

He stood in a 4x4 cell, on a tanker. As he rose, he realized that the cell was electronically locked. He took the security card and used it to unlock the door. Luckily, the jail cell was in the hallway to the holds, and he needed to get to the holds to seize his prize. He dashed along until he heard a noise. He ducked behind a storage container. The noise was a storm of robots entering the hall. He dashed past them and into the holds.

The place was empty. He thought that it was a mistake to go there. But as the room slowly gained light, he could see what looked like a tank.

The tank then sprouted wings, and a huge robot body. This was Dr. Eggman's creation, Project EX-1. The thing was so big that it crashed right through the top of the tanker. Shadow realized from a certain spot that this robot was relying on a Chaos Emerald to keep it running. When it came toward Shadow, he entered hyper time and dodged his way to the back. When he got there, it was only too easy to get the Chaos Emerald. He jumped up, along the strings of power lines, ground, and moved in for the prize.

The robot entered a chamber in the side of the holds. It toppled into one of the power lines and froze. The system crashed.

Shadow gazed at his beautiful prize-the Red Chaos Emerald. As he held it, he felt tremendous power flowing through him. He put it away and picked up the article that he had worked so hard to receive. He read the article. It said:

December 9, 1991

"Ultimate life form born in space colony"

The ultimate life form was finished today at 11 a.m., in the Space Colony ARK, a rogue space project created by Gerald Robotnik, head of Robotnik Industries in Los Angels, Cauliflower.

The life form is fast, too, so once he gets down to Earth, his creator will challenge Sonic the Hedgehog, the youngest living being to ever break the sound barrier, to a race. 2-year old Sonic is now practicing on a custom-made treadmill.

The life form was granted the title 'Shadow the Hedgehog' at birth. He weighed in at 3 lbs., 4 oz., and is a total of 24 inches tall.

Professor Gerald is currently celebrating with his granddaughter, Maria. Now that the project is finished, the baby hedgehog will grow up a little bit before heading back to Earth.

The hedgehog has been made using memory skin technology, a type of technology that will prove effective in creating new medical products. The original memory skin technology, or M3, is a technology that infuses the nuclei of the human cells with metal. But using this new method, or M4, the nuclei are infused with pure diamond, providing for the strongest type of cell in the world, impenetrable.

This creation is ushering in a new era in the world. There is nothing like what has been created here today.

"So that's how I was created…" he said.

"Congratulations! I never expected you to be able to find that thing. I expected that if the EX-1 didn't stop you, then the guards would. You have not only surprised me, but made me proud. For that I will tell you of a contact to meet to find your next article", said the cloaked girl. She had come out of nowhere, and was spying on Shadow, almost as if she had set up his challenge.

"Well, then tell me."

"Settle down! I'll tell you. It's Ms. Rose. She lives in the west side of Station Square, at 356 Ortiz Avenue."

"Thanks."

Thinking about his newly acquired knowledge, he headed back to Station Square.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5-Questions

As Shadow approached the lonely picture of a house, with no lights, covered in dust, and eerie, he wondered how any woman could live there. It was dark out, and rainy, but even still the dust stuck there like bubble gum to the bottom of a shoe.

When he rang the bell, the entire house must have shaken, for the noise that had come as a result had shaken the entire block.

But as it did, the door slowly creaked open. Shadow almost thought that he was making a grave mistake. Inside is what he didn't expect.

The entire place was full of rusty disco balls, record players, and old dance music records. It used to be a disco hall.

"W-who are you?", said a lone voice from within.

"The question is, who are you?", said Shadow.

"I'm Amy Rose, and you are…?"

"My name is Shadow…"

As the young girl approached him, she said, "Sorry. I didn't think you were who you were."

She was a pink hedgehog, wearing a red skirt and a hairpin. Quite contrary to the cloaked girl, she had a high, rather squeaky voice, and green eyes. She held in her hand a huge hammer. Her eyes made her look scared, as if she'd seen a ghost.

"I was told that you're a useful contact by someone… but I didn't think that I already knew her."

"Well? Surprised?" A smile lit up on her face.

"More than you are."

Suddenly, there was a loud crash outside. When Shadow went to investigate, there was a squadron of robots, with weapons at the ready. A robot spotted him and opened fire. The shot almost took Shadow's ear off. As he ran, he grabbed Amy by the hand, and busted right through the wall.

Shadow landed in an alleyway. The alleyway looked safe, but it was uncertain.

"Sorry about that. Those stupid robots almost killed us both. This'll be over soon, but until it is, you're going to have to keep up with me." Shadow let go of her and rocketed off.

The robots had spotted Amy, and were about to fire when she started running. Because she did, they missed. When she approached the other side of the alley, there was a huge robot standing there, with a huge hammer that was three times the size of her.

"Leave this to me!" Shadow catapulted from the back of a building, and went right through the robot. The explosion resulted in flying pieces of robot carnage, and one of them hit Shadow.

Shadow fell to the floor, hurt. He got up, and stumbled.

By then, the robots got to them. Amy took her hammer and whacked them. Shadow started limping toward the old disco hall, and when he got there, the house was a mess.

The robots tore right through the things that the young girl held dear. The place had originally been her home, but now it was nothing but a messy old shack with a hole in the wall. Oddly enough, one of the bricks was hollowed out and had a bag of cocaine in it with a label, "To Bush".

Shadow, feeling bad about what had just happened, said, "I'm sorry, but you probably want me to leave now, right?"

Amy said, "Yeah. But you wanted to know where the article is, right? Well, I'll tell you. The next article is in the National Historic Museum, over by the library."

Shadow just said a simple "Thanks", and headed off.

The robots were common around that area, and were pretty powerful, not to mention evil. Eggman created them, and they were made for the specific use of taking out Shadow.

Suddenly, a voice from behind Shadow said, "Wait! I'm coming with you!"

It was Amy, and she was running faster than before. She almost kept up with Shadow. When she got there, he just bowed his head and closed his eyes.

After a moment, a robot approached from behind, and tried to hit Shadow. In a quick flash of moves, Shadow threw the robot over his shoulder and ripped off its arm.

Amy was seemingly hoping for revenge. She wanted to take her anger out on the machines that the evil genius built to destroy Shadow, and in the process, destroyed everything else.

Shadow opened his eyes and said, "Let's go, then!" He started a slow dash, to let Amy keep up with him.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6-Action & Revenge

Shadow walked into the dreary museum. It looked like it hadn't been used for a century. There were cobwebs everywhere, and it looked as if the place was abandoned, but it was nighttime and raining, so it was obviously empty.

Suddenly, there was a huge banging noise from the next room over. Shadow went to investigate. He saw a huge robot, inside a roboticized dinosaur! He took a Japanese sword from the wall and started swinging wildly, and as he did, the beast fell to its knees, and exploded.

The robot controlling it stepped out and was recognized right away. That robot was the team leader in the organized assault against Shadow and Amy.

Amy stepped in to the room. She pulled out her hammer, and said, "This is my fight! Let me handle it! Now that robot will pay for what he did!" That robot was E-123 Omega.

The robot looked at her and said, "System activation ready! Omega Cannon Attack!"

Shadow looked at the robot in shame. "Omega, I thought we changed you for the better. But I won't allow this to happen! Chaos Spear!"

As he said those words, the wretched traitoring robot fell in despair and said, "Self-destruct sequence activated. Firing rockets at sole target."

Shadow was pummeled with huge explosions. He was knocked across the room, straight into a wall. He was speechless in pain.

Amy immediately ran to Shadow. He was hurt very severely. She said, "Shadow, are you okay?"

Shadow was still in such severe pain that he was paralyzed from the shock of the blast. He tried to respond, but the words were still stopped.

Suddenly, Shadow saw darkness clouding his vision. His eyes closed. The only thing that Shadow could see was himself, standing in a cloud of darkness. He could then see what looked like all of his acquaintances. They were getting smaller, almost as if they were walking away, until they were gone. Shadow saw something in the distance glisten, and come toward him.

It was a golden sword, with black hand guards, and a jewel about the size of a Chaos Emerald on the handle. In the blade there was writing. It said, "Shadow Reaver". Shadow grasped the sword by the handle, and started swinging it around. He then looked for a place to put it away, and it disappeared in darkness. Suddenly, the darkness turned into light, and he could see what appeared to be a stone tablet. It said:

Those who wish to use this blade must present absolute power"

Shadow inserted his Chaos Emerald, and took the sword. Suddenly, he started to see what was going on in the real world. As he reopened his eyes, there was no one there, and the museum was empty, without anyone, even Amy. He got up, and discovered that the Shadow Reaver was still in his hand. He then saw a robot holding Amy, and dragging her. She was unconscious.

Shadow put away the Shadow Reaver and stealthily followed along.

The room's doors opened, and there was a laser room. The robot jumped over the lasers, and as it did, Shadow noticed just how high the lasers went. He tried jumping, and he didn't even come halfway to the top. He then just paced back and forth.

Suddenly, Shadow thought of an idea. He waited until the guard outside passed, and then opened the window. When the guard stopped, Shadow took out his new sword, and chopped the robot in half. He then opened the next window, to the hallway where Amy was being taken. The robot opened the door. Inside was a room with a jail cell in the back of it.

When the robot stopped to put her away, Shadow jumped and slashed the robot down its back.

Unfortunately, the robot was turning around as Shadow made his move. The guard spotted him, and sounded an alarm as he was destroyed. The room closed, and Shadow was trapped.

About 2 hours later, Amy was up. They were still trapped in the room. While he was trapped, he unlocked the cell, but they were still trapped together.

Amy said, "I think that it might have been a bad idea coming here, for the both of us. Maybe this was just a trap?"

Shadow said, "I wonder if it is…", questioning the fact that it just so happened that someone knew about his past.

"Darn it!", he said as he punched the wall. "What are we going to do now? This is unfair! Why can't I ever get my way? I hate this!"

Amy just sat there. She was surprised that Shadow hadn't discovered how to get out yet.

Shadow hit the door with his shoulder. It stayed put. He rammed into it again, without any luck. The third time that he hit the door, the Chaos Emeralds fell. He picked them up, and realized that he had more power than what he thought. He grabbed them, and a big grin appeared on his face.

Shadow said, "Come here for a second. I want to show you something."

Amy then said, "What is it? Another failed escape plan?"

"No. This one won't fail."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"On a rank from 1 to 10?"

"11."

He said, "Do you know how much power this has? It is limitless. We can use this to get out of here!"

He then pulled out the Shadow Reaver and slashed the door wide open.

Amy said, "It took you that long to figure it out? Why, I ought to…"

Suddenly, there was a creaking noise. The floor began to vibrate, and a huge robot busted right through the wall. It wasn't just one robot, though. It was four EX-1s and a huge robot that made the EX-1s look like ants. It was the EX-2!


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7-The Duel

It was huge. Shadow thought, "There's no way that I'll be able to get past that thing."

Suddenly, there was a huge crash. The room was shrouded in dust. The EX-1s were gone, and the EX-2 was just standing there.

The EX-2 split down the middle, and soon came crashing down like some crazy horror story. The room exploded, leaving a mess behind. A piece of the wreckage came flying by, and hit Amy in the head. Shadow then spotted the unveiled doorway to the article.

"It's mine, at last! Nothing stands in my way now!"

That's what he thought.

From out of the dust cloud, Shadow could see a figure that looked just like him. Out of the cloud came Sonic! He was looking at Shadow in a cold stare. He then attacked!

He was moving so fast, that his feet didn't touch the ground until after a six-foot leap that must have went at least at Mach 2.

Shadow got the wind blown out of him by a 6,000m.p.h skull bash. Amazingly, he got up. He matched it with his own 6,000m.p.h skull bash.

From there, they matched each other's moves about 40 times before touching down to the ground to rest. Shadow just glanced at him, turned his head to the side, and spit out a tooth. He then dashed to the side. Sonic did so as well. They were going in the same direction.

Suddenly, it became a chase. Shadow and Sonic chased each other until a tornado was created from their speed and wind buildup.

They were flung high into the air, and flung right back down. Shadow put his hand in front of his head, and catapulted from the floor. Sonic, however, fell to the ground, landing on his head. Electricity started to flow through his body, and suddenly, the ground started to shake.

Sonic tried to get to his feet, but as he did, Shadow knocked him against the wall. Something flew from his shoe, and he started to transform. His head was shaking, and then there was a big flash of light. Shadow covered his eyes.

When he regained his sight, he saw Metal Sonic! It was using a super chip that allowed it to turn into anything that it has copied the life force data from.

Shadow took out his Shadow Reaver, and took out his other Chaos Emerald. He then said, "Shadow Reaver!" As he did, another blade sprouted from his Chaos Emerald. He then took them both, and combined them together.

A huge glare of blinding light appeared, and there stood Super Shadow! He was still only holding one Shadow Reaver, but his skin was metallically transformed. He stood there, with his skin shining silver, and then dashed toward Metal Sonic and cut him in half.

The Shadow Reaver disappeared, and he turned back to normal. Amy was unconscious, just lying there. Shadow picked her up, and laid her down behind him, as he read the second article.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8-The Second Article

Shadow picked it up and read:

September 31, 1997

"Mysterious militia goes to outer space, kills all on board space station"

Today, a mysterious secret black project robot militia invaded the Space Colony ARK, claiming to call themselves "G.U.N.". The ultimate life form, in question, was not found on board.

Among the victims were Dr. Gerald Robotnik, Maria Robotnik, and other employees who played an important role in creating the ultimate life form.

As of now, the cause of the crime is unknown, as is their whereabouts, which are currently being investigated.

There was a report of a space vehicle being found, but the vehicle's cockpit is too foggy to see inside of.

The last reported message coming from Space Colony ARK was: You people are crazy! I gave you a gift, and you turned it around on me! How dare you! I will sick Shadow on you for this! He may only be 5, but he is still gifted in many ways! Don't you dare underestimate him! Understand? All of you ungrateful humans who took everything away from me will feel my loss and despair!

The article was ripped off after that.

Shadow took the article with him, and headed back to Yaranzo Avenue to drop off Amy.

On one of the rooftops, Amy's belongings accidentally dropped. Shadow picked them up, and discovered Amy's true identity: the cloaked girl! Among her belongings were the cloak that the girl always wore, and the necklace that she wore. Shadow carefully examined the jewel, and found that it was the Blue Chaos Emerald! Shadow pocketed it, and realized that because of the gaping hole and ruined furniture, she had nowhere to sleep.

He put her on top of the bed that had been torn apart. He then jumped to the rooftop, and off, wondering why that happened in the way it did.

Shadow couldn't sleep that night, knowing about the many illegal things that he did. Was there a reason that he did what he wanted to do in such an erratic and violent manner? Shadow didn't know, but he did know that something big was going on.

That night, Amy woke up, and decided to go to the club down the street. On her way to the door, she spotted a note from Shadow. It said:

Dear Amy,

I'm terribly sorry for what happened tonight. Even more so, I'm sorry that I could not reverse what has been done. I discovered your identity, as the mysterious cloaked woman, on one of the rooftops, when your stuff fell out of your pocket. If you're wondering where that Chaos Emerald is, I have it. The robots were after it, and that's why they tore your house apart. I'll come by tomorrow morning, and get started on reconstruction.

Amy sighed, and walked off.

That night, Shadow went there as well, half asleep. He ordered a drink, and then went outside for a breath of fresh air. He looked up at the sky, and his eyes were fixed on the stars.

Suddenly, a shadow passed by in the sky, and the area behind him exploded. Shadow rushed to the scene, and used his Chaos Control to warp the people out, when suddenly, he heard a shriek from the back of the club. It was Amy!

Shadow rushed as fast as he could, but the smoke was too thick to see. He pulled out his Chaos Emerald, and said, "Chaos Ray!", and as he did the smoke was gone.

He quickly spotted Amy and brought her outside. And there, where he thought it was safe, was Eggman, in his super machine, the Egg Viper.

Shadow saw as Amy was taken into the evil monster's tail. The monster machine then constricted her, painfully crushing her.

Shadow used his sword trick, except this time, he combined three swords, to create a mammoth blade of immense power. Shadow then rushed at the monster, with no mercy, and lifted the blade above his head. A single swipe was all it took to destroy the metal menace.

Amy landed on the ground. Her arm was crushed in two places, and her hammer in pieces. She barely opened her eyes before fainting. Shadow rushed to her side, still glowing silver. He picked her up, and took her to the hospital.


	10. Chapter 9

Sonic the Hedgehog: The Shadow Chronicles Vol. 2

By Carmelo Ildefonso

Prologue

Shadow befriended a love-crazy thirteen-year-old hedgehog girl in order to fulfill his desire to find out more about himself, when he crash-landed into a crime scene. Trying to figure out the truth, Shadow found himself searching for his rival and befriend him to try to save the world together, as he believes they have done before in a distant memory…

Chapter 9- The Truth

Shadow looked at the hospital wall, just staring. He wondered why it was always his fault that his friends, which were in few numbers, especially now, were getting hurt.

His eyes shifted in the direction of Amy, who was still unconscious from the attack. He thought that it was his fault that it happened, just because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. At that instant he decided to see for himself why Eggman did what he did.

Shadow said "Chaos Cure", and Amy's crushed arm was back to normal. He then took his rocket acceleration shoes, and hovered just above the ground. He switched their mode to low-speed flight, and took Amy right through the window.

He glided back to his tenement apartment, and set her down on his bed. As she slept, he was busy thinking about the truth. He knew that she was hiding it all from him, rather that she, of all people, knew what his past was, and he was going to shake the information from her.

Convincing her was not going to be very easy, and Shadow knew that, so he decided to do things in such a manner that she would be obligated to answer.

Shadow kept his promise to her and started construction on her house. It was pretty easy to fix up the old shack, because the heaps of scrap metal, a.k.a. the huge robots that he destroyed at the museum, made easy fixings of the wall and the furniture. He melted down the parts with their high-tech flame-thrower, and used that to fix the wall. He then used the arms and legs to replace wooden parts of the furniture that was wrecked. He finished his work, and was ready to question her.

As he walked in, she woke up. Shadow said to her, "You finally woke up. I never thought I'd see the day. Considering what happened last night, you should have woken up earlier."

Amy said, "Where am I?"

Shadow told her what had happened while she was asleep. He sat her down at the table and began to question her.

"You know about my past, but yet you still didn't tell me the truth. Why?"

"I was being chased by Robotnik. I knew that if he knew that I had any connection to you, I'd probably be caught faster."

"That still doesn't answer my question. Why didn't you tell me?"

"The police told me not to tell you."

"Why did they tell you that?"

"Because they know your capabilities, and were afraid of you. They didn't want you to retaliate, and they figured that it was the only way to prevent it from happening."

"Okay, so that's one question answered, but I still don't know why you hid your identity from me."

"I did it because I thought you'd rat me out if you knew who I was."

"Well then, why did you do it if you knew that it was illegal?"

"I did it because I felt sorry for you."

"That all?"

"…"

"You don't want to get caught, do you?"

"…"

"Why did you feel sorry for me?"

"It all happened recently. It's a reason I'd rather not tell you yet."

"I didn't know that you were being chased by Robotnik, but I'm not involved with him. But I want you to tell me something. Do you know what happened between me and Robotnik that made me do what I did?"

"Robotnik made you think that it was the military's fault that your creator, or Gerald, and Maria died, but it wasn't. That evil militia was made up of Gerald's robots, infected with a computer hack to betray its owner. Ivan installed it, and used Gerald's robots to create the militia. Where its name comes from remains to this day a mystery."

"That answers another question. Why is he chasing you?"

"I don't know. I think I figured it out though. He needs the Chaos Emerald that you took."

"I'll give it to him, alright. I'll use it and rip him apart, just like what he did to my 'family'."

Shadow got up, and said, "This conversation is over. I'll take you back to your house in a few minutes."

He went back to his bed, thinking about what had happened. He sat there, with his hands in his head. He wondered why the world hated him, and was always trying to annoy, confuse, and otherwise be mean to Shadow. Was it something he did? Why were they always after him? How could he fix his mistake?

A tear streamed from his eye. He knew that the last time he'd ever be cared for had already passed. No one would ever want him around again.

It was at that instant that Shadow decided to be what he wanted to be, not what everybody expects.

While they were walking down the street, headed toward that old shack, Amy started asking questions, like "Why the long face?" Shadow simply replied, "Leave me alone."

Suddenly, Shadow stopped. His fist clenched, and he said, "You're here. Now, you probably will never see me again, so if you have anything to tell me, tell me now."

Amy replied, "I know where the next article is."

Upon hearing those words, Shadow's mind changed, and a grin appeared on his face. He said, "You might just see me again sometime, after all."

Shadow followed Amy into her house. She rolled out a map of a military base.

"This base is about 50 miles southwest of Prison Island. It's on an island with a jungle on it. To get in, you're going to need some help. That's where I come in."

"Okay, but how can you help when you're not going to be there?"

"Who said?"

"… You win…"


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10-The Defeat of Shadow

Shadow and Amy made their way to the island. Strangely enough, they thought that someone was watching them. But every time they turned their heads, that someone was gone.

Shadow looked around, and said, "You sure this is the place?"

He looked at the map, and from the looks of it, that island was exactly what they were looking for.

Suddenly, guard robots jumped out of a bush, and shouted, "Freeze!"

Shadow did just that, except he froze everything but himself, and when it was over, they were the only ones left with a head.

Amy said, "We're going to need to watch each other's backs. If we're caught again, then we might not survive to be a day older. "

They stealthily went in the military base, being careful of where they stepped. Mines were scattered across the floor, security cameras were lining the base, and guards were all over. There were even some turrets mounted to the walls. But they got through undetected.

Inside this area was a labyrinth. Shadow said, "I'll take one side, you take the other. Trace your steps."

Shadow and Amy went their separate ways, and as soon as Amy entered the area, she said, "Shadow! I found the exit!"

Shadow said, "But how is that possible? I found the exit!"

Amy took a single step forward, and a shruiken, or ninja-throwing star, was launched toward her feet. It landed where she was about to take a step. The floor in which the shruiken fell opened up, and underneath it was a pit leading into a bunch of spikes.

Amy saw what looked like a shadow of Espio, the chameleon from the Chaotix Detective Agency. He was standing on the roof of the maze, in a ninja style position.

Shadow just stared, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. He then asked Espio, "How did you know that was there?

Espio just stared, and walked away.

As they went along, at various spots they would have to dodge lasers, guards, security cameras, and other things. There were as many traps as there were guards, and when they reached the end, they came to a shocking conclusion.

As they entered the room, they quickly hid. Shadow peeked around the corner to see what was going on.

A guard robot entered the room, and so did a figure cloaked in darkness. The figure stepped into the light. It was Dr. Eggman! He then spoke to the robot.

"Is everything going according to plan?"

"Yes, sir. The article has been secured."

"Good. I want it incinerated."

"But sir, how will we remember the facts?"

"We can copy it on to a computer file in the black room."

"Understood. I will carry out your plans as needed."

"Wait. I've set up a security system in there, and it signifies that something is in there. Wait for them to come out. I'm relying on you, E-107 Alpha."

The robot saluted, and the two left the room. Shadow and Amy stealthily followed along.

At the end of a long corridor, Shadow and Amy spotted the robot walking into a room. Along the way, he dropped the article, and Shadow ran towards it.

Suddenly, Shadow was flung towards the wall, and a red light beamed on in a high part of the room.

Shadow yelled, "It's a trap! Get away!"

But he spoke too late. Before Amy realized what was going on, she was flung towards the wall so hard, she broke the wall.

She fell from where she was, and used her hammer to soften the fall and land on her feet. Shadow used his rocket shoes and the Shadow Reaver to try to slash at the thing, to no avail. The blade was knocked out of his hands and into the ground. He was punched right through the wall.

Amy was still recovering from the blow, and she couldn't move. Then, that robot thing went to step on her.

Shadow rocketed right through the wall, got his sword, and got underneath the robot's foot. He held it off until Amy ran away. He yelled, "CHAOS CONTROL!" Time came to a complete halt, and Shadow ran, stumbling. He kept on running until he was out of energy, and then he passed out.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11-The Loss of the Blade

Shadow woke up. He saw a starry night sky, some trees, and a dim orange glow to his right. He got up, looked around, and saw Espio standing in front of a fire, polishing his shruikens on a remote island.

Shadow asked, "Why did you save me?

Espio, disregarding his question, simply said, "You're awake, I see. Been fighting robots all night, I presume? I didn't even beat that thing."

Shadow, remembering what happened, started to panic. Before he even went on, he got up and said, "Where is she?"

Espio said, "She tried to fight that thing, too? I didn't even see her when I got there. Sorry, but I can't answer that question."

Shadow lowered his head, and angrily punched the floor. He wanted to stab his sword right through the ground, but his sword didn't appear.

"Looking for these?" Espio held in his hand the three Chaos Emeralds that Shadow had obtained.

Shadow said, "Give them back!"

"You'll get them back, but first I'm going to need you to do something for me. That blade you were wielding was cursed. It takes the evil out of one it slashed, and transmits it to whoever used it. Hence, you are not to use it again."

"I understand."

"But wait. There's more."

"You're starting to sound like a telemarketer."

Espio pulled out a remote, and pushed a button.

The ground started to shake, and the middle of the clearing opened up to reveal stairs.

At the end of what must have been thirty flights, they came to an oriental-looking place. There were all kinds of karate materials there, like nunchaku, swords, lances, and gear, and the rack for storing shruikens was empty. The ground was a mat, covered in light-reflecting material, designed to look like the original training arenas used by ancient Japanese warlords.

Espio said, "This is my secret training area. I've never let anyone else even see it, let alone enter its domain. I will allow you to train here."

Shadow saw what looked like another of himself.

Shadow said, "Is that a mirror?"

Espio replied, "No. That is a prototype of a clone of you. They tried to get it right, but as long as it was a robot, it was always flawed, as it was too heavy. I stole one from your father's industry, and it voluntarily has become my sparring partner. Easily repairable, rechargeable, and easy to control, it is a very good sparring partner. Use it to train."

Shadow was there for hours, learning how to use his powers to the fullest, and using a new technique, learned to duplicate himself in a way, using one Shadow clone to call all of the others to his aid. If they all used a Chaos technique at the same time, the result could be deadly.

Shadow, with the help of Espio, made his way back to the area where he nearly died before, and had unfinished business with the monster. Espio provided a distraction by using his shruikens to set off the mines, hit the cameras, and otherwise disturb the base, while Shadow made his way to the room.

Shadow walked in, and clenched his fists. "You are an imbecile. You dare mess with me, and you go down, no matter what. Now, your pathetic robot life will come to an end. Now die!"

Shadow shot up into the air, and the other Shadows came. Shadow threw the Chaos Emerald into the air and said, "Infinite Shadow Attack!" What must have been a thousand beams of light came flying out of the Emerald, and into the other Shadows.

At the same time, the other Shadows said, "Chaos Spear!"

The entire place was filled with beams of light, and they all struck the same place. The robot froze, and an explosion followed. The explosion blew open a door behind the robot, and it also blew up the other Shadows. A piece of wreckage fell to the floor, with Eggman's insignia and the title EX-3.

The door led into a row of jail cells, and Amy was in one, her head lying on the floor. She was asleep. As Shadow walked in, he saw Amy in one cell, and a few criminals in the other ones. Shadow took out the security card he got from Rouge a while ago, and used it to open the door.

Amy immediately woke up, looked around, and saw Shadow in the doorway, where he was when he opened the door. She got up, ran over to him, and gave him a hug.

Shadow didn't realize what was going on, and took a few seconds to respond before hugging her back. When she finished, Shadow asked, "What happened last night?"

She said, "After you passed out, Espio came, launched a few attacks, and silenced that thing for a while, but he didn't see me, and I was in pain so bad, I couldn't talk. So, I was captured, and he rescued you."

"Have you seen the article?"

"Yeah. While I was being thrown in, I grabbed it. I think I still have it."


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12-The Third Article

Amy pulled the article out of her pocket, and gave it to Shadow. He carefully read it. It said:

April 26, 2003

"Ultimate life form, thought to be dead, found at military base"

The recent impact of the Space Colony ARK incident led officials to think that the ultimate life form, Shadow, was deceased. However, the government spy Rouge the Bat found him in a section of world-renowned genius and madman, Dr. Ivan Robotnik's military base just two hours after the others on board got back. Their current location is unknown, but a photograph proves that this story is true.

The photograph displays one of the stolen power capsules, with Shadow inside, in a dark room. The room is also filled with robots, which time and time again, were destroyed by legendary hero Sonic the Hedgehog.

Shadow was thought to be dead after the two used their super form in order to beat a prototype of the ultimate life, which after its first defeat at the hands of Shadow, fused into the colony itself. When the prototype was destroyed, Shadow's rings ran short, and he fell to Earth, where it was thought that he died during atmospheric entry.

The article had a picture below it, but it was ripped in half.

Shadow said, "Follow me. I have to talk to Espio."

Espio was waiting near the edge of the island, with an activation switch in his hand. Shadow found him, waiting there.

Espio smiled, and pressed the activation switch. A bi-plane flew in, and landed next to him. It was one of Tails' original models, the Tornado II!

Shadow said, "Where'd you get that?"

Espio replied, "I found it in the Mystic Ruins. It was rusted up near the edge of the forest, and I actually encountered Big, fishing right near his house, sitting on its wing."

Shadow said, "All right, I just take this Chaos Emerald here, and put it on the front…"

Espio smiled again and said, "I covered that, too."

On the front of the bi-plane was the Silver Chaos Emerald.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13-Enter Tails

Shadow's mini-vacation didn't last long. During landing, the new toy got wrecked, because he couldn't land the right way. Espio never told him that he couldn't use landing gear once it went into hyper mode!

They left the plane there, and it still hasn't been found.

But it was their lucky day, because they landed in a clearing right near the city, and an investigation was in progress. That investigation was what would lead them to their next adventure.

A man was on the ground, dead. The investigation was to find out how he got there.

Shadow turned his head to talk to Amy, but she was gone.

He started to walk around looking for her, and saw her in her black cloak, looking for clues, in the crime scene. Suddenly, a black shadow passed over the city. Shadow followed it.

The entire city stared into the sky in awe as a black shadow passed by everyone's head. The thing was flying fast. Shadow jumped, and used his rocket shoes to fly clear over the city.

It came into view. It was Miles "Tails" Prower, a huge-brained orange fox boy with two tails for flight, and acting as a fan when moving at high speeds across the ground. Only eight years old, his IQ rivaled that of Robotnik himself.

Shadow sped up, and was now within view of the fox-boy.

Tails said, "What are you doing here?

Without answering, Shadow descended, and approached the ground. A SWAT team was waiting for him, with a missile launcher in hand.

Shadow realized what they were planning, and ascended high above the city. He spotted Tails again.

Tails told Shadow, "You're not allowed here. The city is planning against you. They now know what you know.

Shadow said, "You mean the articles?"

"You saw them, right?"  
"Yes. So?

"They want you dead for that reason. They think that you will take your revenge on the city."

"What reason would they think that? The articles have nothing to do with the city."

"They don't know that. If they did, then you wouldn't be chased down.

"Why don't they know?"

"They've never seen them."

"What?"

Shadow thought that the city was the first to see the articles. But this news was new to him.

"Tell me more."

"The news is only to be discussed among government officials. Though they report directly to the President, they have no idea what they're doing."

"But that would mean…"

"That's right. If militants found out they were hunting a perfectly innocent hedgehog, they would revolt. If the news were to leak out, the entire world would be hunting the President down, for the criminal offense of elimination of the innocent. Who knows what sort of chaos would break out."

"I see. But that's still no reason to want me dead."

"They plan on shutting down the ARK and any evidence of its existence."

"But that wouldn't result in anything but destruction. The people will still know. They were the first to find out."

"That's what the nuclear weapon is for."

"Nuclear weapon? They plan on slaughtering them all?"

"No. The nuclear weapon results in a lot of chemicals, called perpetual-chlorides, being released into the air. Those chemicals can be targeted to eliminate certain memory brain cells. If a high-altitude detonation were to take place…"

"That doesn't change the fact that it happened."

"Shadow, whether or not Sonic opposes this, I'm going to fight on your side. I was up here scouting the area for any sign of the weapon. They're planning on launching it into space, so if the thing launches anytime soon, I'll be the first to know. You don't have to worry about me ratting you out. Oh, and another thing. You'll find this interesting."

"What is it?"

"We aren't from another planet."

"What?"

"They've been doing this for years. No one knows but me."

"How?"

"See, at the end of the Robotnik Era, an era where this place was called something different, and a dangerous wasteland, they did this on almost the entire planet by accident."

"How?"

"It turns out that we're actually secret military projects as well. During the time that you were locked in the military's top-secret base, we were created, and Robotnik's father was leader, they launched a nuclear weapon at his base as well. However, due to unexpected air currents, the chemical was spread into the air, and our attack unit, the Freedom Fighters, was nearly wiped out. Those of us who survived, except myself and one other, didn't remember their creation, and think that they're from another planet due to military influence. I tried to tell them, but they didn't believe me."

"Who was the other?"

"He's dead. Assassinated. The guy that you just passed was the one."


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14-The Return

Shadow was awestruck. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He believed everything that the articles said, but he never thought that they would go this far. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. But he knew the truth now. They were planning on something big, and they were planning it soon.

Shadow said, "Does Amy know about this?"

Tails replied, "She does."

"So then she believes you?"

"In a sense, yes."

"But why would she believe you and no one else would?"

"It's a long story."

"Tell me."

"A few days ago, she was told the truth: Sonic is married.

"What?"

"She thought that he did it out of spite, but he was married before she even knew him. Sonic's wife is on another planet, so not many people know about it. She was really down, and wouldn't even talk to anyone, let alone come out of her house, until I gave her the locations for the articles."

"You know where they are?"

"No. I gave her a disc containing that and a pinpoint-computer virus, made for hacking into missile silos. She used it , and now knows the truth."

"Then why didn't she tell me?"

"She didn't trust you enough. This information is top-secret black case information. So far, the only ones who know about it are me, Amy, you, and the person who made it all happen…the President."

"Hey Tails. I have another question for you. What about the other articles?"

"They're already gone."

"Well, then, what about the Chaos Emeralds? Can we use them to stop this?"

"I honestly don't know. I've got one. What about you?

"Four. But where are the others?"

"I found out recently that you can use one to track the others."

"Let's track them down."

And so Shadow went off to save the world again, this time, from itself.

Five thousand miles away, in Asia, a continent on the other side of the world, Shadow was searching for clues, when suddenly, someone approached behind him.

It was a hedgehog girl, with black hair and red eyes. She had a red lash of hair covering her right eye, and a red one-piece outfit resembling that of Amy.

She was yelling halfway down the block, "Shadow! Oh, Shadow!"

She ran toward Shadow, threw her arms around him, and hugged him.

Shadow said, "Who are you?"

She said, "You don't remember me?"

"I don't even remember myself. I am sorry, but I have no memory of anything prior to six months ago."

"What?"

"That's when I awoke from a state of suspended animation."

"…"

The young girl looked at Shadow, eyes tearful. She ran past him, and into a nearby building.

Shadow followed her, and said, "Wait! I didn't mean it that way!

Suddenly, a gunshot flew past his ear. He could see what looked like a SWAT officer in a building nearby. He had a sniper rifle at the ready.

Shadow ran toward the building that the girl entered. More SWAT officers were waiting for him.

Shadow jumped up, and launched toward them with a homing attack. He elbowed the guards and knocked them out. He continued running.

He ran up the stairs, and the young girl punched him in the face from an apartment.

Shadow was already running pretty fast when she hit him, so he was knocked down by the blow. She dragged him into the apartment.

As he got up, she slapped him across the face.

Shadow said, "I don't get it. What did you do that for?"

The girl said, "I could ask you the same thing. Why did you lie to me?"

"I didn't lie. It's the truth. I really don't know who you are."

"Liar! What do you take me for?"

"I don't even know myself!"

"What?"

"Or maybe you haven't heard?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The only thing that I can remember is myself, falling toward the earth at high speed. If you really cared about me, you'd know."

"Oh."

The girl suddenly broke into a frown, and sat down.

Shadow said, "Who are you?"

The young girl answered, "I'm just someone you used to know. I'm sorry for what just happened."

Shadow knew that she didn't know about the incidents at the Space Colony ARK. He took a Chaos Emerald out and said, "Chaos Cure." He had healed from his injury.

As he got up to go, she said, "Wait."

Shadow said, "What do you need?"

"Maybe we can be reacquainted?"

"That's a possibility."

"You'd better stay here for awhile. You look pretty beaten, and those thugs are after you."

"While I'm here, tell me who you are."

"I'm Amerie, your sister. You used to know me from a place called the Space Colony ARK, but I was transported to a different planet while they took you away."

"Right. I'm sorry, but I don't remember a thing."

Shadow found himself sleeping on a couch like an old homeless drunk would sleep on a thrown-out bed. He woke up about an hour later, but not in the same place.

He was in a bed about a few thousand miles away. He got up, looked around, and saw a black cat girl wielding the same equipment as Espio.

She came up to him, and said, "Follow me."

He was led into a room full of different people. She said, "Do you remember us, Captain?"

Shadow replied, "Captain? What are you talking about?"

Suddenly, he heard the sound of propellers growing loud outside. He saw the desert sands blowing in the wind. The sand cleared, and in came Tails, holding a bag over his shoulder. He said, "This is all we need to fight them off."

He dropped the bag on the floor and sat down on a rock. The people gathered around the bag, and began to start grabbing at things in the bag. Shadow couldn't see through the crowd.

Suddenly, the cat ninja girl said, "Settle down, everyone! We've got enough to go around this time, and we need to formally issue the Captain his."

She dragged the bag to the center of the floor and pulled a Tec 9 out of the bag. She took out a Chaos Drive and slammed it into the magazine holder. She then took out what appeared to be a black tube, and fit it on the front of the weapon.

She said, "This is yours, Captain. It's fueled by Chaos Drives, so you won't be killing anybody anytime soon. It's now suppressed."

She handed him the gun. As soon as the Chaos Drive touched his hand, he had a flashback of the memories he had lost. He held his head with one hand, and his new arsenal in the other.

He replied, "I remember you guys now. That Chaos Drive… Man, this group has grown since the last time we met. What happened to you guys?"

"We became revolutionaries after you left. We have to keep a low profile. You don't know me yet, do you?"

"Sorry, no. What's your name?"

"I'm Ayame, the cat girl. The seal on the left is Rotor, that's Big in the corner, and that girl behind me is Sally. They just arrived. And I believe you're already acquainted with the others, right?"

"I guess so. That's the Chaotix Detective Agency, Tails is the one who just came in, Knuckles is the red echidna with those dreadlocks, and… Who is she, over there on that rock?"

"Her name's Cream. She's a new recruit."

"I guess then that we'll be a team once more."

"Right. Another change is our team's name. We're now the Black Widows, named after the swift spiders."

"Gotcha."


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15-The Seeds of Conspiracy

Shadow went to go find Amy, back in the city, when he heard a few guards walking around.

One said, "Did you hear? Those punks are back."

The other one replied, "Yeah. They've been tagging the town, and even set fire to an ammunitions depot. Strangely enough, they haven't been coming after any officials."

"I wonder when they'll really be a problem."

"It's just strange how they didn't make a big debut the way they used to."

"Well, we've got to continue our posts. See you later."

One of the guards walked away. Shadow took out his new weapon and shot the guard in the back of his head.

He then began running up the side of the wall, on top of a building, and made his escape.

Shadow made his way to a US Army base in Taherir, Yemen. It was loaded with ammunition, and had sixty-five Black Hawk helicopters in the hangars. Shadow found a jack on the floor, and cranked the airplane above the ground.

The luckiest thing was that there was only one guard patrolling the entire area. Shadow knew that he would be spotted when he lifted off the ground, but he didn't care. Hopefully, by the time the Army had gotten to where Shadow would take off, he wouldn't have to worry.

Shadow pulled out his Tec 9 and shot the guard. He then hoisted himself into the aircraft, when he noticed something glowing to his right. He looked at it.

It was a Chaos Drive. Shadow pulled it from its socket, and looked at his rocket shoes. They used fuel, but Shadow inserted one into his left shoe. Then, he looked at the fuel reservoir, which was filled with Chaos Drives. Shadow pulled another one out and inserted it into his right shoe. He then pulled another one from the pile, opened up its cap, and poured the liquid into the engine. He then took another two from the pile and ran from the chopper as it was catching fire.

Shadow had just taken off when the large chopper burst into flame and exploded.

He then looked at his new gun. It looked easy to manage, and stable. He then noticed hinges in the handle. He opened it up, and inside was a GPS tracker. It was tracking Shadow as he traveled, and indicated land about thirty miles away. Shadow rushed as fast as he could.

As he arrived, he saw thousands of battle tanks, and what appeared to be millions of soldiers rushing people into a blue portal. Shadow hovered just above the ground to investigate.

He grabbed Amy's cloak from the site of the murder just hours ago, and faked himself as a human, got in line, and entered the portal. As he entered, he was deeply disturbed to come across the same planet he had just come off of, except this one was functioning like normal. He felt something in the cloak's pocket. He opened it up and found a Chaos Emerald.

He asked a cop where he might be able to find Amy Rose.

The cop said, "Who?"

Shadow said, "Amy Rose. Have you heard of her?"

The cop said, "Follow me. I've got to talk to you."

The cop showed him to a computer room.

Shadow saw her on one of the monitors, and said, "Is that her?"

The cop responded, "Yes. She's under arrest for treason."

"What?"

"Yeah. That chamber is the execution room."

"You mean they're going to kill her? Tell me where she is, now!"

"Calm down, they're not going to do it until next week."

"It doesn't matter, I need to see her!"

"Alright, I'll tell you where she is."

"Thank God for you. You're a good man."

"She's in the US High-Security Military Penitentiary in Washington, DC.

"Thank you very much. I don't know what I can do to repay you."

"Just sign up for the New York Police Department, and start a strike. We don't get enough pay."

"I was planning on it. All of the world's governments are corrupt."

"I'm with you on that. See you around."

"Thank you very much."

With that, Shadow sped off toward the portal.

He arrived on the other side of the portal, and got to a rooftop. He examined the gun a bit more, and found a cell phone built into the handle. He took it out and called Sonic.

Sonic, apparently busy, said, "If this is another telemarketer, I will come over there and sue you!"

Shadow said, "Relax, it's me, Shadow."

Sonic said, "What the…? You're not serious, are you?"

"Yes, I am. I need your help."

"What do you need from me?"

"I need you to go into that portal and bust someone out of death row."

"Who? You don't have any friends besides Rouge, and she's in the CIA."

"It's more than that. It's--"

Before he could finish, Sonic said, "Don't tell me, it's one of MY friends?"

Shadow said, "Sorry, but yes. It's--"

Sonic interrupted him, and said, "I'm NOT going in there to save that girl Amy."

Shadow said, "Well then, forget it. I don't need your help."

Sonic said, "Sorry. Don't take this personally, but I hate her. She deserves to die for what she did."

"She didn't know that you were married."

"WHAT?"

"Yeah, I'm serious. I just found out myself, two hours ago. Besides, she's not after you anymore."

"Okay, okay. You have enlisted my services."

"No, if it bothers you that much, I'm going in alone."

"We may be able to hit something off here. Why don't I join you?"

"Okay. I'll stay undercover, while you head to Washington to interrogate her. When you get there, call me, and I'll bust her out."

"Alright, on one condition."

"Name it. I'd do a lot for her."

"Good. No one should know that I was involved. And by no one, I mean Amy and the feds."

"Okay. We'll go in about an hour."

Shadow clicked the end call button, then called Tails.

He said, "Hey Tails, it's me, Shadow."

Tails said, "Where did you disappear to?"

"Sorry. Just looking for a friend is all."

"We were worried that you had been captured. Did you find who you're looking for?"

"You know it. I also gained Sonic's trust."

"Good. Where are you headed?"

"I'm going to see Amy."

"Where is she?"

"She's in a military confined area, and she's on death row."

"What in the…? There's no way you'll be able to get in."

"I'm planning on sneaking in while Sonic fakes an interrogation. When he enters the gates, he'll give the word, I'll spring on the guard, and he'll pretend to fight me while I bust her out."

"So I see… You're relying on Sonic's trust in the military world to save her life? Why go to that extent?"

"She's innocent, and I know it. Besides, she reminds me too much of Maria."

"Yeah, those two are alike, now that I think about it."

"Well, I'm going to meet up with Sonic and plan this out."

"Okay, see you later then."

Shadow slid the cell phone into the handle of his new toy, and flew to Sonic's house.

The place was much unlike the place he had just seen. It was extravagant, with a fountain and an entire garden. As he walked in, a voice shouted, "If this is more paparazzi, I'll call the cops!"

It was a maid.

Shadow replied, "No, I'm trying to find Sonic."

"You're Shadow, are you not? Sorry. Follow me."

The lady brought Shadow to a door and asked him to go in.

Shadow entered, and saw a room contrary to the one he had just been in. It had a picture of Dr. Eggman on a dart board, and a leather couch inside an old-fashioned sheriff's office-looking place.

Sonic said, "Oh, hey. This is Axel. He was a spy for Eggman's forces, and helped me to bring him down before."

The mysterious figure stuck out a hand and said, "Nice to meet you."

Shadow said, "Likewise."

"I suppose then you know me?"

"Slightly."

Sonic interrupted them, and said, "I heard about the situation from Tails, and I want to help. So, I enlisted Axel to help us out."

Shadow said, "Right. We didn't want to ask, being that you're so busy all the time, apparently."

"Well, not necessarily. I've got time for a friend."

"Go on…"

"You came here to talk about it?"

"Yeah. So, how are we going to plan this?"

Axel cut in and said, "I've got to go. See you around."

Both replied, "Okay, see you."

Sonic continued the conversation, saying, "Listen. I don't want to get her out, but I'm doing it for you only because you want to. That will be the way it looks when it happens. I'll pretend to fight an ally of yours when you make off with her. From then on, do as you please with her."

Shadow replied, "Okay. I'll crack open the roof, and ask someone from the Black Widows to assist me."

"Alright, but make sure to be fully covered. If anyone sees you, they'll report you in an instant, and you nor Amy will ever be seen in public again."

"Got it. We'll go whenever you're ready."

In an hour, they were prepared for the break-in, and entered the portal.


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16-Authority of Hell

Shadow and Sonic entered the portal, with Shadow being totally cloaked. He ran toward Washington, DC, and got there when the guards had returned to their posts. Suddenly, a shadow passed overhead. As Shadow looked up to see what it was, he noticed that someone was right behind him.

He looked behind and saw Ayame, equipped with a lighter, gasoline cans, and a bow and arrow. She said, "I'll start a fire as a diversion when he gets there. He'll pretend to fight me, and you grab the girl."

Shadow replied, "Okay, but why are you helping me?"

"Listen. If I don't, I'll be breaking the international code of ninjas. Now, we just need to wait."

It took about two hours before Sonic finally arrived.

Ayame said, "You wait here, and I'll set it up."

She took out an arrow and dipped it in the gasoline. She then took out the lighter and lit the tip on fire. She put the bottle behind a guard's foot, then jumped to the top of the building, took out the bow, and aimed for the bottle.

Just then, Sonic's fake interrogation began.

Amy immediately punched the window where Sonic was about to speak through.

Sonic said, "Try all you may, but you're not getting out of here without telling me everything that you told Shadow."

Amy replied, "Well, if you hadn't betrayed me, I might cooperate."

"It doesn't matter whether or not you die to me. I have other ways of getting it, and I can get you out of here."

"It doesn't matter to me either. I've got no friends, except for one, and he's just an acquaintance. Thanks to you, I don't want to live anyway."

"You know, I respect you a lot more now that I know about why you did those things."

"So you know about Shadow?"

"Not the complete story, but I know enough."

Just then, Ayame let the arrow fly, and the guard caught fire. Sonic immediately ran toward the guard, and ran around him enough times to create the wind necessary to put it out. Just then, Shadow made his move, and destroyed the roof of the compound, snatched Amy, and ran off.

Sonic spotted Ayame, and said, "You double-crosser! Now I'll never get that info!"

Ayame replied, "Mission accomplished. I'm out of here."

She then disappeared.

Shadow made his way to the portal, dodging army officials flooding the streets, opening fire. Suddenly, he was surrounded.

The first guard said, "You're not going anywhere."

Shadow replied, "Let's just see you try."

He then took out a Chaos Drive, and said, "Chaos Control!"

Suddenly, time came to a halt. Shadow took his advantage, and stepped right through the portal.

As he walked through, he immediately took off, with Amy in his arms. He landed at his apartment window. He walked inside, and placed her down.

Amy, shocked, said, "Shadow? Is that you?"

Shadow replied, "You know, what you said really hurt."

"What did I say?"

"That I'm just someone you know, and nothing more."

"I was just trying to trick Sonic. You're much more than that."

She took the cloak off of his face, and kissed him on the cheek.

Shadow was too shocked to do anything. Amy kissed him again, and then locked lips with him for four seconds.

Shadow was too shocked to respond or know that he was this important to Amy.

She said, "Shadow? Are you okay?"

Shadow, slow to respond, eventually said, "Yeah. You really like me…"

Amy replied, "Of course. It's not everyday that someone comes across a person like you."

Suddenly, a loud crash was heard. Shadow saw what looked like a SWAT team looking for the two.

Shadow took out a Chaos Emerald and used his Chaos Control to warp to the hideout in Asia. There, he found himself asking Amy, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

She wouldn't respond. She was trying to find an answer, but she didn't find it.

Shadow did the first affectionate thing he ever did right then and there. He put his arms around her. He told her, "Hey, I like you too. But it's a mixed emotion...I can't stay with you, as long as I'm being chased. I love you so much that I must leave to make sure you stay alive."

She asked him, "Do you really mean that?"

"Of course I do. I'm finally beginning to understand love."

She didn't know what to say. She had something else on her mind.

Shadow asked her, "What's wrong?"

Amy said, "What you just said..."

"I'm sorry, but I have to do it. Once they stop, then we will be together."

"I want to do this with you."

She grabbed his hand, looked into his eyes, and said, "Okay?"

Shadow nodded his head, and kissed her.


	18. Chapter 17, Epilogue

Chapter 17-Aftermath

As promised, Shadow and Amy did everything together. They even found out about a certain government conspiracy, and exposed it to a few key people. Aside from all of the other crimes they had committed, they are now wanted in the United States for breaking a classified seal.

Ayame, also in trouble for lighting an Army officer on fire, is now wanted for stealing evidence that the President cheated in 2000 and 2004. Not much is known about the crime, except that Rotor the Walrus aided in her theft and escape. The Black Widows were incriminated soon after, and spread apart all over the world, denying they ever took part in any of the events that happened.

Sonic was assassinated after a press conference -- shot in the heart. Not much is known about that either, but some people think it was either Axel or Robotnik, while others have their eye on the President and the CIA. Until the investigation is over, no one will know what exactly happened at any of these events.

To the surprise of many, Rouge and Knuckles got engaged shortly before all of these events happened. They are scheduled to be married in January of next year.

Miles and Ayame went missing, and are believed to have become members of the USSR. No one knew Miles was still around after the Egg Fleet incident, in any case, since he was blown off target and is believed to have landed somewhere in Russia.

The Chaotix Detective Agency remained as is, with not much more to their name than a good work title and a few hundred dollars.

Robotnik continued his work against the government, and destroyed a missile silo in southern New Mexico. Shortly afterward, he was found with the President of the United States, having a conversation in a cafe in Virginia.

A saying: Conspiracy and death go hand inhand. And as it would seem, something is wrong with this picture.

Read the next story in the series: Sonic Future. Coming out late 2005.


End file.
